


They Got the Year Wrong, 2012 was Actually Supposed to be 2020

by jubilantscribbler



Series: Jaspvid Week 2020 [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Jaspvid Week 2020, M/M, Not a zombie apocalypse, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24351781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jubilantscribbler/pseuds/jubilantscribbler
Summary: Day 1: Alone TogetherMoments of peace are rare and few in between, but when they chance upon it, David finds that even when they should be relaxing, little thoughts and memories bubble up whether they want them to or not.  But that’s okay, he thinks.  As long as they face it together, they’ll be fine.
Relationships: David/Jasper (Camp Camp)
Series: Jaspvid Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758160
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	They Got the Year Wrong, 2012 was Actually Supposed to be 2020

**Author's Note:**

> i am well aware i got other fics to finish but 2020 has been such SHIT i'm gonna enjoy myself with this one challenge week and THEN get back to those *looks at my hand* three other fics i'm trying to finish. these are all gonna be relatively short, between 2-5k each. hopefully i can accomplish this ONE thing for once!! hahahahahahahaha

The leaves crunch underneath their feet as they walk. All around them, the forest sways with the wind as autumn graces their presence with the soft rustle of falling leaves. Red and orange drift lazily around them as the light gently beams through the branches of the trees that surround them.

It's peaceful, he thinks to himself, his raggedy bandanna pulled up over the lower half of his face as Jasper hums next to him.

"Hey, Davey." David turns to glance at his partner, the brunette never faltering in his steps as they continue down an unseen path. "Remember when we were younger?"

Sounds of laughter echo in his mind as bright, young boys raced each other through trees just like these ones. But the leaves were green then, weren't they? So full of life and damp with the recent rain as their sneakers would slip and skid on the grass and mud, getting dirt all over their clothes and each other.

A problem for later, they had decided. They can deal with their angry mothers later.

But for now. Now was precious.

So very precious.

"...Yeah." He steps closer to Jasper, the back of his hand brushing against Jasper's own idle one. Without missing a beat, Jasper laces their fingers together and swings their joined hands between them. It's enough to make David laugh as he continues the momentum between them. "What about it?"

"Remember when we used to think that the forest was a magical place?" There's a smile on Jasper's face, so real and genuine that David finds it hard to look away. "When every pond we found, every wack looking mushroom, every little secret we thought was known only to us was proof that there was something _else_ hidden in the forest. Like fairies, or gnomes, or secret doorways into other worlds."

"Hmm..." David looks up to the sky, now hidden behind the cover of tree tops as another leaf flutters towards them. He opens his palm to catch it, but it just grazes his thumb as it continues its fall to the ground. "Yeah, of course I do. Why?" Jasper doesn't respond at first. Instead, his blue eyes focus on something in the distance, eyebrows furrowed together as a look of concentration settles on his face. It gives David the incentive to look around them once more, this time his anxiety spiking as he focuses less on Jasper, and more on their surroundings.

Did he miss something?

He listens to the quiet of the forest, but only their footsteps answer him.

His eyes scan their surroundings, thinking maybe he's missed a sign somewhere. A sign of life asides their own. Asides from the trees that still stand here after all this time. Asides from the still noises of nature that dare continue to exist under the weight of destruction that tried to wipe out humanity.

And what remains of humanity...

He tugs his bandanna up higher, ears searching for a sound that can give him a hint of what Jasper's already been aware of.

And that's when he hears it. 

The faint sound of trickling water. No... not a trickling. A... steady stream? A rush of water?

"...A river." Jasper answers his thoughts with a rush of glee. With a tug on his hand as his only warning, Jasper pulls David along as they run towards the sound. 

A river.

When was the last time they found a river?

Feet dipped into cool water, the sight of tiny fish swimming past as they laughed and splashed water playfully at each other, the cool, gentle breeze ruffling their hair as they tousled and fell against each other, chests heaving as they caught their breaths and realized for the first time that they could see the world in each other's eyes-

He bumps into Jasper as the brunette comes to a halt. That wonderful, sweet smile is back on his face as he turns to David.

"A river!"

And oh, how his eyes sparkle like the gleaming waters themselves, so full of depth and warmth and swirling with a love that hasn't faded since they first met each other as children.

"Yeah," he giggles, setting his backpack down on the ground without much prompting. "A river!" 

And just like when they were young boys, naive and innocent to the world around them, they drop their things and take off their worn boots. Once upon a time, Jasper would have groaned at the sight of such tattered things, clinging to his feet like a memory that refuses to go away. But now, he tenderly removes them like a precious memory he holds onto desperately. 

It makes sense, David thinks.

Those were the last things given to him before his mom left them.

Jasper's thumb brushes the sides of the boots before he sets them down carefully next to David's pair. Together, they roll the cuffs of their jeans up and dip their feet into the river with a satisfying sigh.

Peaceful.

That's what David thinks as he hums an old tune into the open air. Jasper joins in, as David knows he would, and they create a soft duet of a song that once belonged to a single singer. 

As David closes his eyes, he feels that familiar brush of fingertips ever so carefully touch his, as if asking once again if it was alright for Jasper to take his hand. The answer is always the same - slowly, ever so slowly, he relishes every movement, every brush and stroke of their fingers as he laces his with Jasper's, their fingers slotting together as naturally as the sunlight that streams through the cracks of the leaves above them.

Jasper's humming hitches ever so slightly, just enough that David knows with a smile that his boyfriend has a blush dusting his cheeks. Even after all they've been through, Jasper still has a bit of shyness left in him to be a little surprised every time David returns his small affections. He squeezes Jasper's hand just to hear that little hitch again.

David's mind wanders a bit before realizing that Jasper never answered his question from before. He nudges the man beside him, getting a rather sleepy sounding hum in response.

"You never answered my question."

"Which was?"

"Why?" He opens his eyes again to turn towards Jasper. "Why bring that up?" Jasper takes a moment to think as he recalls their previous conversation.

"I dunno. I mean, we're in the area." Jasper shrugs like it means nothing, but David knows better. 

"...Do you still think the forest is magical?"

For a moment, silence reigns between them. 

Nature has taken... a different turn to how they used to think of it as children. What was now a roaring love that David held has simmered down to a respectful sort of distanced admiration, something Jasper still doesn't understand given what happened after the world had its overdue strike back. Natural disasters are bound to happen. Natural disasters in succession... one after another, without relenting, without mercy, without fail.

That surely made humanity's opinion of nature fall quite a bit.

Strange then, that they can only find solace and safety among nature once again. He wonders when he'll see the wildlife again, from where they must be hiding in safety until they know it's okay to come out. It's hard not to notice the lack of fish swimming past their feet as he waits for Jasper's response. He watches as Jasper's chest rises in tempo with his breathing, a sight he never thought would be so comforting until he learned that it could be taken for granted. He counts each rise and fall as Jasper thinks. 

"...Only when I'm with you." Jasper reaches out to cup his cheek, the warmth of his palm bleeding through the bandanna as David leans into his touch. The brush of Jasper's thumb is soft as it strokes just beneath his eye, and David wishes for a moment that he could lower the bandanna enough to kiss the hand that holds him tenderly.

But he keeps it on, for Jasper's sake. Even now, he can see that familiar guilt settling in his eyes. 

It wasn't his fault.

Jasper can't protect him from everything.

But... the scars remain as a reminder regardless.

So he does his best to protect Jasper in his own way. The bandanna stays on, even as it muffles his voice and stifles his breathing. If he can keep Jasper from seeing those three ragged lines, keep his childhood best friend from seeing the scars that haunt him still in dreams where they drip with blood, he hopes that it'll provide enough time for Jasper to heal from that awful experience.

Still, even as he hides the reality from the brunette, he feels Jasper tug lightly on the yellow bandanna.

"...May I?" Even though Jasper is the one who wants to see what lies beneath, the hesitancy is still evident with each little twitch of those fingers that tug on David's bandanna.

"Are you sure?" David's hand rests on Jasper's as he provides an out. 

Jasper's taken the out plenty of times in the past.

And with how his hand trembles against his own, he's sure that Jasper will take it again. But instead, the brunette squeezes his eyes shut. Swallows as David watches his Adam's apple bob. When his eyes open, the determination nearly overshadows his uncertainty and anxiety.

"...Yeah."

His fingers tug at the edges of David's bandanna again, and this time, David lets him pull it down.

The scars don't hurt him anymore. They've long past gotten over the stage of scabbing over and healing. When they took turns keeping watch, David would take off his bandanna to air out his wound.

Because all wounds need to be aired out to heal, right?

That's what must be going through Jasper's mind as his thumb gently brushes the scars that are etched into his face, leading down from his left ear and ending near the corner of his mouth, straying just a bit by his chin. Soon, two more fingers join in Jasper's tender stroking as his fingertips feel the marks left behind by an aggressor they'd rather not remember. Jasper's thumb traces over David's lip, before dipping down to his chin.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, just as soft as the wind that brushes against them.

"Don't be," David responds, his hand reaching forward to cup that familiar face. Jasper's eyes, David had realized in the past, are a shade of blue that gets too sad too often. He's always wanted to change that fact. Fill this kind man with an amount of love that could drown out the sadness. But in the world they live in, perhaps such a task may be impossible to accomplish.

Still, he wants to try. And he'll never stop trying.

"I was supposed to protect you."

"And you did. I'm alive, aren't I?"

"I could have done better."

"Shhh." David pulls Jasper forward and presses his forehead against his. "You did what you could, and that was more than enough."

"Was it?"

"Could have been worse. I could have died instead."

"Don't say that."

"It's true though."

"Doesn't mean I want you to say it."

"Then that's the last time I'll say it." 

The gentle rush of the river fills up the silence between them.

And then.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

Jasper closes the distance between them, pressing his lips softly against David's. David leans in, relishing the feeling of chapped lips against chapped lips. He fights the urge to chase after Jasper's kiss as the brunette pulls away, and instead lets himself drown in Jasper's gaze, eyes bluer than the ocean they've long since left behind. Jasper's thumb returns to tracing his lip as he smiles once more.

"I think you're pretty radical."

And David laughs, no longer muffled by his bandanna.

"I think you're pretty radical too."

Jasper's gaze softens.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Jasp."

"I should tell you that more."

"You don't have to. I know."

Every tender touch. Every sweet embrace. Every little movement that Jasper makes.

Of course he would know.

"Is it enough though?"

"Having you around is more than enough for me."

"...I love you."

"I love you too. You know that, right?"

"Always."

David leans in to press another kiss against Jasper's waiting lips. Just as soft. Just as tender.

And they don't need any more than that.

Eventually, they'll need to part for air.

Eventually, they'll need to get up.

Eventually, they'll need to continue their walk. Continue their task of finding a place to settle down, to rest their weary feet in the comfort of safety as society begins to regain its bearings to start anew. Maybe they'll be able to live with people again, learning to trust and open up again without that undercurrent of tension and suspicion that seems to lie unspoken in each of their actions and glances. Or maybe they'll continue to live in solitude, away from what remains of humanity until the earth heals, and people heal, and they heal.

Perhaps it's too early to say. After all, the scars are still fresh, and they need time to get used to the sight of them. And they have all the time in the world now to decide on what to do.

So for now, David decides to chase after a pair of chapped lips, pressing closer as they both memorize the feel and warmth of each other's touch once again. For the now is precious.

So very precious.

And for now, the bandanna will rest against his neck. Wounds need to be aired out to heal. And heal they will.

For as long as they have each other.

...They'll be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> :)


End file.
